O'Neill Dan G, Prisk Lauren J, Brodbelt Dave C, Church David B, Allerton Fergus
Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, Herts, United Kingdom.
Clinical Sciences and Services, The Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, Herts, United Kingdom.
PLoS One. 2025 Jun 11;20(6):e0324203. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0324203. eCollection 2025.
Acute diarrhoea is a common canine veterinary presentation in the UK. This study aimed to report the incidence, demographic risk factors and clinical management for acute diarrhoea diagnosed under primary veterinary care in the UK in 2019.
A cohort study design with a cross-sectional analysis was applied to anonymised VetCompass clinical data. Risk factor analysis used multivariable logistic regression modelling.
The analysis included a random sample of 1,835 confirmed incident acute diarrhoea cases in 2019 from an overall study population of 2,250,417 dogs. After accounting for subsampling, the estimated one-year incidence risk for acute diarrhoea in dogs overall was 8.18% (95% CI: 7.83-8.55). Of the first acute diarrhoea event in 2019 for the 1,835 cases, 1473 (80.27%) had only one physical visit for veterinary care related to the acute diarrhoea. The most common comorbid clinical signs with acute diarrhoea included vomiting (n = 812, 44.25%), reduced appetite (508, 27.68%) and lethargy (444, 24.20%). Overall, 538 (29.32%) cases were recorded as haemorrhagic diarrhoea. The most common clinical managements were probiotics (n = 1094, 59.62%), dietary management (807, 43.98%), antibiosis (701, 38.20%) and maropitant (441, 24.03%). Six breeds showed increased odds of acute diarrhoea compared with crossbred dogs: Maltese (OR 2.17, 95% CI 1.25-3.77), Miniature Poodle (OR 2.17, 95% CI 1.19-3.95), Cavapoo (OR 2.07, 95% CI 1.32-3.25), German Shepherd Dog (OR 1.69, 95% CI 1.29-2.22), Yorkshire Terrier (OR 1.51, 95% CI 1.15-1.98) and Cockapoo (OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.05-1.74). The odds of diagnosis increased in dogs aged under 3 years and dogs aged over 9 years, compared to dogs aged 4-5 years.
This study confirms acute diarrhoea as a common clinical condition in dogs managed under primary veterinary care, with 1-in-12 dogs diagnosed each year. The identified breed predispositions suggest some genetic element to the condition. The clinical outcomes following veterinary care appear to be very positive, with over 80% of acute diarrhoea cases not receiving a second veterinary visit. However, antibiotic use remained frequent, despite years of recommendation to the contrary and raises concerns about unnecessary antibiotic therapy for this condition.
急性腹泻是英国犬类兽医临床中常见的病症。本研究旨在报告2019年在英国初级兽医护理下诊断出的急性腹泻的发病率、人口统计学风险因素及临床管理情况。
采用队列研究设计并进行横断面分析，对匿名的VetCompass临床数据进行研究。风险因素分析采用多变量逻辑回归模型。
分析纳入了2019年从总共2,250,417只犬的总体研究群体中随机抽取的1,835例确诊的急性腹泻病例。在考虑了抽样因素后，估计犬类急性腹泻的一年发病风险为8.18%（95%置信区间：7.83 - 8.55）。在1,835例病例中，2019年首次发生急性腹泻事件时，1473例（80.27%）仅因急性腹泻进行了一次兽医诊疗。与急性腹泻同时出现的最常见合并临床症状包括呕吐（n = 812，44.25%）、食欲减退（508例，27.68%）和嗜睡（444例，24.20%）。总体而言，538例（29.32%）病例被记录为出血性腹泻。最常见的临床管理措施为使用益生菌（n = 1094，59.62%）、饮食管理（807例，43.98%）、使用抗生素（701例，38.20%）和使用马罗匹坦（441例，24.03%）。与杂种犬相比，有六个品种的犬发生急性腹泻的几率增加：马尔济斯犬（比值比2.17，95%置信区间1.25 - 3.77）、迷你贵宾犬（比值比2.17，95%置信区间1.19 - 3.95）、卡瓦普犬（比值比2.07，95%置信区间1.32 - 3.25）、德国牧羊犬（比值比1.69，95%置信区间1.29 - 2.22）、约克夏梗犬（比值比1.51，95%置信区间1.15 - 1.98）和可卡颇犬（比值比1.36，95%置信区间1.05 - 1.74）。与4 - 5岁的犬相比，3岁以下和9岁以上犬的诊断几率增加。
本研究证实急性腹泻是初级兽医护理下犬类常见的临床病症，每年每12只犬中就有1只被诊断出。确定的品种易感性表明该病症存在一些遗传因素。兽医护理后的临床结果似乎非常乐观，超过80%的急性腹泻病例无需再次就诊。然而，尽管多年来一直有相反的建议，但抗生素的使用仍然频繁，这引发了对该病症不必要的抗生素治疗的担忧。
